05 Jun 2022: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Indian President’s visit to Maghar
2. India Bangladesh Joint military exercise- EX SAMPRITI-X
3. Lifestyle for the Environment- LiFE Movement
4. Ethanol blending

1. Indian President’s visit to Maghar

Syllabus: GS Paper 1- Important personalities from the medieval period

Prelims: Literary contributions of Saint Kabir Das

Context:

• The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind paid tributes to Sant Kabir and inaugurated Sant Kabir Academy and Research Centre and Swadesh Darshan Yojana at Kabir Chaura Dham, Maghar, Uttar Pradesh.

Sant Kabir Das:

• Sant Kabir Das was a 15th-century mystic poet, saint and social reformer and a proponent of the Bhakti Movement.
• He was born in the city of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh and spent the last moments of his life in the city of Maghar (Uttar Pradesh).
• Sant Kabir Das was a highly acclaimed poet of his time. Some of his famous writings include ‘Bijak’ and ‘Kabir Granthawali’.
  • Bijak has a huge collection of poems.
• Kabir Das mainly wrote his poems in Hindi mixing with Avadhi, Braj, and Bhojpuri.

For more information on saint Kabir Das refer to the following article:

Kabir Das Jayanti

2. India Bangladesh Joint military exercise- EX SAMPRITI-X

Syllabus: GS Paper 3- Defence and Internal Security- Military exercise of India

Prelims: Joint Military exercises of India

Context:

• A joint military training exercise between the Indian and Bangladesh military named Ex SAMPRITI-X is being conducted at Jashore Military Station in Bangladesh.

Details:

• Exercise SAMPRITI is conducted alternately by both countries.
• The Exercise aims to strengthen interoperability and cooperation between both the armies and to share best practices.
• The exercise will also provide an opportunity for strengthening trust between the armies of both the Nations and further contribute to peace and stability in the region.

For information on more such joint military exercises of India refer to the linked article.

3. Lifestyle for the Environment- LiFE Movement

Syllabus: GS III, Environment and Ecology; Environmental conservation

Prelims: LiFE Movement

Mains: Climate action by India at the domestic and global levels

Context:

• Prime Minister launched a global initiative ‘Lifestyle for the Environment – LiFE Movement’.

Background:

• The idea of LiFE was introduced by the Prime Minister during the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow in 2021.

Details:

• The initiative aims to influence and persuade individuals, communities and organisations across the world to adopt an environment-conscious lifestyle.
• The vision of LiFE is to live a lifestyle that is in tune with our planet and does not harm it. The idea promotes an environment-conscious lifestyle that focuses on ‘mindful and deliberate utilisation’ instead of ‘mindless and destructive consumption’ Thus it promotes a more sustainable lifestyle with low carbon intensity.
• This could also be described as a global initiative of citizen action to promote pro-climate behaviours.

Steps being taken by India:

Domestically:

• India’s forest cover is increasing and the population of animals such as lions, tigers, leopards, elephants and rhinos has been stabilizing.
• India has made notable progress in the mainstreaming of renewable energy in India’s energy mix.
• The target of 10% ethanol blending in petrol has been achieved ahead of the November 2022 target.

At the regional and global level:

• Initiatives like the International Solar Alliance and One Sun One World One Grid provide an impetus to the adoption of renewable energy.
• The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure initiative is a laudable step towards adaptation.

4. Ethanol blending

Syllabus: GS Paper 3- Environment and Ecology- Environmental Conservation

Prelims: Ethanol blending targets

Mains: Significance of ethanol blending

Context:

• India has achieved the target of 10 percent ethanol blending, 5 months ahead of schedule.

Background:

• The ‘National Policy on Biofuels’ had a target of 20% ethanol blending in petrol by year 2030. This target of 20% ethanol blending was advanced from 2030 to 2025-26.
• A “Roadmap for Ethanol Blending in India 2020-25” released in 2021 laid out a detailed pathway for achieving 20% ethanol blending. This mentioned an intermediate milestone of 10% blending to be achieved by November 2022.

Details:

• The Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies have attained an average of 10% ethanol blending in petrol across the country. This achievement indicates that the Ethanol Blending Programme is on track to achieve the target of 20% blending by 2025-26.

Significance of ethanol blending:

• Enhance India’s energy security by reducing import dependency on fuel
• It will help save valuable foreign exchange. During the last eight years alone the shift to biofuels has helped India save forex of around Rs.41,500 crores.
• Reduce carbon emissions. In the last eight years alone, the shift to biofuels has helped reduce GHG emissions of around 27 lakh MT.
• Boost to the domestic agriculture sector.

Read previous PIB here.

June 5th, 2022, PIB:- Download PDF Here